Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 (I7378-7571GRY-PUS) Laptop Review

October 24th, 2017Tech Editorials

4.55

There’s no shortage of choice in 2-in-1 notebook market, as people are looking for products that incorporate the laptop and tablet seamlessly into one. Dell has been making these products for a long time, with yet another convertible Dell Inspiron (I7378-7571GRY-PUS) coming out of their factories in 2017. Here’s a quick overview about the various aspects of this laptop, and a recommendation whether it suits you or not.

Not Your Slowest Convertible

Many 2-in-1 laptops are otherwise fine but they might not satisfy the needs of power users with their low-end components. Manufacturers have, however, recognized the demand for more powerful convertibles. This Dell Inspiron is an example of snappy performance, as Intel Core i7-7500U – yep, from still the latest 7th generation – is the processor of this unit. It’s surely a low voltage one so the i7-7500U doesn’t reach the all-star performance of processors with higher energy requirements. Nonetheless, this 2.7GHz processor chip is still a smart choice for people wanting to ensure lagless operations.

On this laptop, the memory does not come integrated but on normal memory sticks. There is 12GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM installed by default, which takes up both memory slots. In theory you could upgrade to a maximum of 16 gigabytes, but whether it makes sense or not is entirely another question.

As with all 2-in-1 laptops I can think of, also this Dell relies on a solid-state drive for storage. A 256GB M.2 SATA 3 SSD is included and Windows 10 Home pre-installed on it. There are no extra slots for more drives, so you’ll have to do with the current one. You could also open up the notebook and upgrade the default one if you have the skills.

Should Be Decent to Look At

Even the smaller models, like this Dell, have fully adopted the 1080p resolution by 2017. In fact, in some circles Full HD is already a thing of the past as higher resolutions are pushing the market. Nonetheless, the 13.3″ display with 1920×1080 resolution often offers a crystal clear image (I’m using such a display right now), without taking too much space. The manufacturer promises decent 160 viewing angles for the screen, and touch support so you can swipe if that’s your cup of tea. The 360 degree operating angle ensures laptop, tent and tablet modes all work here.

Even though the display is great, the graphics performance is not the best feature of this laptop. You see, graphics are handled by Intel HD 620 chip only, an integrated graphics engine on the processor. It takes hardly any space, but in exchange offers very little graphics performance in comparison to dedicated graphics card. As a result, when talking about gaming, you really need to be careful with in-game settings; too much eye candy will render many games too laggy. You can run things like GTA 5, but indeed on lower settings.

Video Review

The Usual Set of Ports for Connecting the Dell

The Dell Inspiron has three ports configured on the sides. There are three kinds of USBs: 2.0, 3.0 and also USB-C. It’s a decent amount for a small laptop, and you can take advantage of the new(ish) USB-C features too. Also a dedicated HDMI output is provided in case you need to plug in an external monitor to this.

The WiFi adapter is brought by 802.11ac standard, the best one because of long range and strongest signal. Bluetooth 4.0 would be supported too. RJ-45, the Ethernet cable port, is not present – however, the solution is to use a cheap adapter.

There’s SD card slot for your memory card, it’s most often used with cameras so you can upload photos easily to the laptop.

Also Note These Features and Benefits

Convertible models are often known for their battery life. On this Dell Inspiron, the battery unit contains 3 cells and 56Whr energy. There seems to be no user reports talking about how long the notebook lasts, but on such a battery, I’d expect more or less six hours. It’s not the greatest operating time but almost takes you through a working day.

There is a backlit keyboard included, just how it should be on a laptop in this price bracket. The individual key color can not be changed, but of course the light for all keys can be switched on and off.

As there’s no optical drive on this unit, Windows 10 is pre-installed on the SSD part. Indeed, you won’t get all the listed 256GB for your use, I’d say around 230 gigabytes is a good expectation after counting in the Windows installation.

Pros:Just makes sense - It's not that costly when you are receiving a full-blown power user friendly laptop. I expect most, if not all, programs run without problems on a rig that operates on a latest processor and snappy solid-state drive.

Take with you anywhere - It has the standard size of a convertible laptop, about 3.6 pounds weight and 0.7 thickness. In a backpack or suitcase, it doesn't take much more space than a bunch of papers.

Cons:Battery? - I'm not sure if the battery on this unit is on par with competitors, might be you are "only" getting six hours out of it while many other notebooks sport 8+ hours battery life.

A laptop like Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 (I7378-7571GRY-PUS) has a purpose, which is to run even the more demanding software on a small frame. People have reported programs like virtual machines working on this laptop no problem, which seems to be in line with the performance a Core i7 processor and SSD brings. The Full HD display on a 13-inches screen will most likely look very beautiful. Furthermore, this package also has the other side, the functionality and portability of a tablet, so, say, for (business) travelers the Dell could also fit the bill nicely.